PEER-TO-PEER, FREE AND LEGAL

Research for Researchers (R4R) is a simple tool designed for unlocking access to scholarly articles when the existing open access services fall short.
It’s the last resort that allows researchers to request and authors to send their articles as a response in an easy, frictionless way, via email.
At the beginning, R4R allows you to approach authors who have expressed their ability and willingness to share their papers with peers. You can search the current list of those authors on our Authors list.

JOIN R4R

FOR AUTHORS

Let your peers know that you’re happy to email the papers you authored whenever you can by adding your name on the R4R Authors list (don’t worry, we take the spam concern seriously). We’ll contact you when the automated email application is ready to use.

FOR RESEARCHERS

Sign up for the waitlist to be among the first ones to download the simple R4R browser extension that allows requesting a resource from an author with a single click. In the meantime, you can explore the list of approved authors below. Don’t see an author you are looking for? Contact us and we will do our best to get in touch.

SEARCH THE AUTHORS LIST

While the R4R browser extension is in development, you can explore the list of R4R authors and send manual requests for papers via a simple form. Search authors by name or institution, or view them on a map.

HOW IT WORKS

Step 1

Imagine you just found an interesting paper using Google Scholar, or other search engines. It’s relevant, but sadly behind a paywall and not accessible via open access applications.

Step 3

R4R automatically drafts a response to the person requesting the paper and adds the relevant scholarly article as an attachment. If the author rather drafts the email herself, by all means she can do that.

Step 2

Having installed the R4R browser extension, a tab on your screen will let you know if sending the email to the author automatically is available. A single click on the tab sends an email to the author, which you can manually edit if you wish.

Step 4

The author reviews the email and makes the final decision on sharing the paper to the person who asks for it.

Step 1

Imagine you just found an interesting paper using Google Scholar, or other search engines. It’s relevant, but sadly behind a paywall and not accessible via open access applications.

Step 2

Having installed the R4R browser extension, a tab on your screen will let you know if sending the email to the author automatically is available. A single click on the tab sends an email to the author, which you can manually edit if you wish.

Step 3

R4R automatically drafts a response to the person requesting the paper and adds the relevant scholarly article as an attachment. If the author rather drafts the email herself, by all means she can do that.

Step 4

The author reviews the email and makes the final decision on sharing the paper to the person who asks for it.

Simple as that.

* We at Iris.ai are currently building the technology. To be among the first ones to try it out later this fall, make sure to Sign up for the waitlist. Check our Terms of Service.

Roadmap

Aug 2018

Announcement

In August 2018, Holly Witteman published a tweet that inspired us in a brand new way. “If you read a paper, 100% goes to the publisher.” the tweet read. “If you just email us to ask for our papers, we are allowed to send them to you for free, and will be genuinely delighted to do so.” With that, the idea for Iris.ai’s R4R was born: A tool that would allow researchers to share their research with peers with one click.

Sep 2018

Authors List Accessible

While the R4R program and browser extensions are in development, researchers and authors who have opted into communication may connect manually to request and send research papers.

Early 2019

Browser Plugin Launch

Planned for early 2019, the R4R browser plugin and author tool will allow researchers to automatically send paper requests directly to an author from their browser with a click of a button. Participating authors may respond quickly and easily with a semi-automated reply through the R4R desktop tool. In addition, Iris.ai will provide active guidance to authors who wish to publish open access and helping them to do so if possible.

FAQ

BUILDING A CULTURE OF SHARING

We believe that positive signalling is crucial to create a culture for sharing around R4R. That’s why, at the beginning, R4R will only allow sending emails to authors who have explicitly expressed their willingness to do so. If that’s you, add your name on the list to encourage members of the research community approach you. By building up the sharing system based on consent, we’re hoping to create a positive culture for sharing articles among researchers.

BUT I ALREADY HAVE A GAZILLION BROWSER EXTENSIONS

Yeah, we know. We look forward to collaborating with other players in this space, making our API available for teams sharing their technology alike.

WHY IS IRIS.AI DOING THIS

Simply because we believe in the power of Open Science. While acknowledging that a number of teams working hard for open access have made great strides towards unlocking and improving access to scientific knowledge, the majority of scholarly articles are still behind costly paywalls.
There are various legal ways to go about it. Facilitating requesting and sharing of papers via email being one of them, we aim to make the process of sharing paywalled content as speedy and frictionless as possible.
In addition, we work closely with authors, universities and other contributing institutions to help find avenues to publish open access whenever possible.

HOW CAN I FIND IF THERE IS AN OPEN-ACCESS VERSION OF THIS PAPER?

We will work closely with R4R authors to ensure that articles are published OA whenever possible. In the meantime, we encourage you to explore existing open-access resources such as Unpaywall, Open Access Button, and Kopernio during your academic search. For a full list of open source resources, we recommend: opensciencemooc.eu/resources/.

I AM INTERESTED IN MAKING MY PAPER OPEN ACCESS. WHERE DO I START?

We would love to help you explore options for publishing open access! We highly recommend checking out the resources from our friends at Open Science MOOC. If you still have questions or would like help getting started, contact us at community@iris.ai.

THE AUTHOR I AM LOOKING FOR IS NOT ON THE LIST.

If you are looking for an author that is not already opted-in to R4R, please contact us support@iris.ai with the author(s) name(s) and the link or DOI of the paper you are searching for. We will do our best to get in touch with the author on your behalf.

HOW SHOULD I RESPOND TO A PAPER REQUEST?

While the R4R features are in development, papers can be requested and sent manually through the Authors List. We’ve prepared a sample e-mail template with appropriate legal disclosure, here

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